Judy's Gone

The New York Times and Judith Miller, a veteran reporter for the paper, reached an agreement today that ends her 28-year career at the newspaper and caps more than two weeks of negotiations.

Ms. Miller went to jail this summer rather than reveal a confidential source in the C.I.A. leak case. But her release from jail 85 days later and persistent questions about her actions roiled long-simmering concerns about her in the newsroom.

“We are grateful to Judy for her significant personal sacrifice to defend an important journalistic principle,” said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times. “I respect her decision to retire from The Times and wish her well.”

In a memo sent the Times staff at 3:30 p.m. today, Bill Keller, the executive editor, wrote, “In her 28 years at The Times, Judy participated in some great prize winning journalism.”

So, now she’s free to write her tell all book including behind-the-scenes tidbits of her time in the big house. Good for Judy. But why is this such big news? Yeah, she was embroiled in a controversy that the Left tried to dress up into a full-blown White House cover-up, but that pig hasn’t yet flown, so…

We complain about the elitism which permeates the MSM. The very fact that this news is getting so much play today sustains the fantasy. And in a weird way, I’m contributing by merely blogging the story. It’s that dilemma that conflicts me even now as I write this.